Those Three Words
by Halamee2559
Summary: If I must become evil, to save the one I love... then so be it. LinkMidna-Twilight Princess-AU Please R&R!
1. Forgotten

**Forgotten**

Dead inside.

It's all I feel anymore... Not a single moon passes that I don't think of how heavy my heart has become. This burden... this curse... it's all that I have now. To wear the face of a Hero, never faltering, never giving up in the face of evil......it makes me sick.

Nowhere to turn, no one to lend a compassionate ear in my time of need, the plight of this troubled soul shall never go answered. And so...

I find myself wishing... that I'd never been born.

What possible reasons do I have in continuing this sordid existence any longer? I have nothing left... not my friends, not my family...

-Nothing.

The light of my life has gone out; the embers of an old flame have long since turned to ashes. I know now that I will never see _Her_ again. What a fool I was, thinking that one day, she would return to me...

There are no more tears left for me to shed, no more purpose for this tired old Hero to grasp. Love is something that I must live without, even if it kills my heart with each and every day...

Because where's the hope in trying to...

...if I'm always destined to be alone...?

_---__Link's Journal_: _His Last Entry..._


	2. Frozen Requiem

AN: For the longest time, I've wanted to write a Link x Midna fanfic that focused on the pair's relationship, and to some extent how everyone's favorite Hylian coped with his inner demons. I think you'll mostly agree that Link is, in many respects a tragic hero. He's never known his birth parents, has the weight of the world on his shoulders, and to top it off, his fleeting love interests keep... slipping away. With that being said, I want to make this fanfic much more than just an interpretaion of the events that transpire in Twilight Princess. I want this to be dark, depressing, and to put it quite frankly, _real_.

The opening chapter takes place just after Link and Midna have begun scaling Snowpeak Mountain. Here's to hoping that I live up to people's expectations. :)

Disclaimer: Legend of Zelda, and all characters in said universe are the rightful property of Nintendo.

* * *

**  
Frozen Requiem  
**

The fierce blizzard that had befallen Snowpeak that night was far dire than Link had predicted. Even with the thick fur coat of his beast form, and sharp keen eyes… there was only so much an animal could take before succumbing to nature's wrath. However… one would say that the fury of the storm seemed almost… unreal… like an outside presence was determined to impede the brave swordsman's path…

And so… he pressed on, braving the whiteout with all the strength and vigor he could muster within the four-legged confines of his body. The scent of the reekfish, even in such horrible wintry conditions was as strong as ever, and… much to his displeasure, just as foul… A part of him wondered how anyone, much less a creature that ate meat, could possibly stand the stench of such an aquatic dweller.

And yet, Link's mind was rampant with darker, more troublesome thoughts.

Even after he'd rescued Midna from near death--- and Ilia before that, he still felt……dismal. His failure for not shielding the little mischievous Twili from harm was eating away at his very soul, suffocating him. How dare he even call himself a Hero…; 'Chosen One from the Gods' as the Spirits of Light had so eloquently put it… and he couldn't even protect the ones that had given him new verve in this ugly world…

She'd nearly died…and Ilia had yet to regain her lost memories… twas another letdown for the famed Hero of Legend.

He was a disgrace to his own lineage.

And all because he was too weak…! Too useless to even stand up and fight back against the darkness that threatened to take them away into oblivion…

Link set his brazen-cobalt eyes upon the looming mountains above, resolution flooding through him.

He could not… no… would not let that fault take hold of him once more.

The wind howled relentlessly in his ears, the blistering gusts blowing snow and ice into Link's face… just as it had for the last hour or so… but no matter. It would take much more than that to sway the Hero into conceding from the accursed land.

-"Link…!"-

Midna's affliction for her Hero had become increasingly grave… especially with the way he shook from the cold.

–"We need to turn back!"- Midna hollered from inside his shadow. Normally, the twilit denizen rode on Link's back, but the lack of any protection against the cold, harsh elements of the environment made her choose the safety of his silhouette instead.

–"You'll freeze to death out here!"-

Link grit his sharp teeth, determination etched into the visage of the wolf, _"I-I can d-do… t-th-this…!" _he retorted, barely noticing his own shuddering breath.

Pain lanced through his limbs like liquid fire, and muscles screamed in protested agony from the exertion of climbing the many perilous rock plateaus that dotted the landscape… but to fall here… now, and all those promises of being strong and vigilant…

They would be for naught.

He lifted a shaky paw forward for the next step, the frost biting into the pads on the canine's feet.

"_I… I can…" _

Link abruptly collapsed.

-"Link…!!- Midna cried out in terror as the beast fell to the snowy ground, his eyes drooped with exhaustion.

All at once he could feel the pain arc through his legs like the blazes of Death Mountain itself, and in due process realized that yet again… he had failed.

'_It's… no… use…'_ he wheezed heavily, the snow bearing down on him. He knew that he'd been pushing himself too hard, and yet he did it anyway. For the last fortnight, Link nary rested longer than he absolutely had to, sometimes going days on end without food or water…

…He wanted vengeance; to see that the evil, _Zant_ had wrought upon the Kingdom of Hyrule was put to an end.

…Even if it meant death for he, the Hero of the Gods. That was all that mattered.

And… as long as Midna was there for him, he'd gladly go on for an eternity to see that she never came to harm again.

The Hylian-turned-wolf became aware of the fact that someone was shaking him briskly by the shoulders, and that familiar feeling of a very petite figure on his back, their smallish hands grasping at his thick mane.

-"Link, get up! Please get up!"- Midna sounded as if on the verge of hysterics, almost screaming for her Hero to stand.

Link rose for a moment on his haunches, struggling… …only to fall in a heap once more on the unforgiving ground. A belated whimper escaped his throat. _"I… cannot…"_

How pitiful he must look, he thought, The Chosen One… now nothing more than a whining mongrel that couldn't even perform such a meaningful task as saving Hyrule from chaos.

…Or even protect the ones he loved…

Tears of anguish froze upon Midna's smallish face, though she'd be loathe admitting it ever happening should Link look up and see.

-"…Hold on! I'll get us out of he-"-

Neither of them had the time to comprehend what followed thereafter, only that they were hurtling through the air.

Link was in alarm, the fatigue washed away and replaced with mixed astonishment and fear as the ground disappeared out from under him… and suddenly he could vaguely make out the moon in the sky as he went into free-fall.

For the briefest of times, he was reminded of Fabli's Height of Fantastication, flying to the heavens, freed for a time from the bonds of gravity.

…He plummeted hard into the hillside, rebounding on his back like a doll made of rags to lay unmoving on his side. The very wind from his lungs had been stolen away, and Link stared uneasily up into the snowfall upon an overcast night sky.

Midna called to him from somewhere in the distance, though her voice rang loud and true through the blinding storm, -"LINK!"-

Link narrowed his eyes as his animal instincts kicked in. With a low growl, he pitched to his feet in earnest. The Hero of Hyrule could not see, but his smell told him that _something_ was there, hunting him…

Evil was afoot.

"_Midna,"_ Link cried out, scanning the slope for his dearly beloved. His bearings had been completely disoriented in the fall, and he knew not of where, if even how he had been tossed aside so violently. _"Where are you!?"_

Everything was a blur thereafter. The alabaster field seemed to disappear on into forever, in all directions, and panic set in as Link tried desperately to find where the Twilit girl was…

A sudden scream of despair pierced the dark, making his blood run cold and wolfish eyes wide open.

'_No, No, NO!!'_

He focused his senses, the world shifting into a whole new frame. Even in total darkness, a wolf could seek out whatever scent they were looking for. A small trail of green mist floated above him, winding along as if Midna were fleeing from something…

_WOOOOOOO_

Just then, an unearthly howl broke the nightfall…… and amidst the tumultuous blizzard of white shroud, he could make out the distinctive form of his little impish friend, hovering in the air, her ethereal hand lashing out against some unforeseen enemy.

With little plight to his own injuries or weariness, Link tore across the plain, his teeth set in a feral rage. If _anything_ dare hurt Midna again, he would tear them limb from bloody limb.

'_Please Goddesses… Let her be alright…'_

…As the distance between them was abridged, that which had attacked the Hero was finally brought into form and malice. It was a wolf. That much he could discern from the telltale features and snow-white coat, but…

It was anything but _normal._

The white wolfos that crowded around Midna were of ghastly appearance, no more an animal than a foul creature. Gaunt, horrifying, and clearly stricken with bloodlust; dark eyes bore intense hate and gleamed with predatory famine at their chosen prey for the night… gnashing ivory fangs eagerly in anticipation.

Link put on a burst of speed, wanting to yell his anger out to the world, but only managing a fearsome growl instead.

-Midna was doing everything in her power to keep the fiendish mongrels from satiating their evil desires.

-"Link…!" Help me!"- She cried out.

One of the ghastly apparitions turned to meet its new foe, unfazed by Link's approach. A sneer of anticipation spread across the  
wolfos' maw, beady eyes locked with his. Perhaps it was clueless to the danger of the Hero of Time, or maybe the ghoul simply did not care of anything outside its own existence. It charged ahead, undaunted.

It would be the last mistake it would ever make.

With a bounding leap, Link took to the air, tucking his canine legs in...

The wolfos faltered, clearly perplexed by the sudden move. And the Hylian-turned-beast capitalized on this weakness, clamping his jaws down on the horrid creature's neck as he performed a cartwheel flip in midair.

A sudden snap, ethereal bones cracking, a pained yelp, and Link hurling the Snowpeak monster clear over himself... the motion as fluid as flowing water. Not breaking stride, he hit the ground running, his momentum carrying him through even as the wolfos faded like the flakes of snow, joining the earth.

The others suddenly brought their attention to the fray, the death of one spurning its pack mates into action, snarling wickedly at Link.  
Nevertheless, he ignored them; there were too many to take on singlehanded... even if he was the Hero of Time.

Relief flooded Midna's eyes as she beheld her savior, her fiery braid flapping behind the Twili in the wind as she drifted before him.

To say that Link was overjoyed to see Midna unhurt, and her golden depths sparkling with mirth at his arrival was a woeful understatement. He had feared the very worst...

In the time that he blinked, a flash of white swept his field of vision... darkness.

...And then... blood was pouring from the open wounds, blinding him...

-"LINK!!!"-

Fire exploded across the right side of his face, and for a moment he could have made out the feel of something very cold and sharp gouging deep into him.

_'My eye...'_

Link pawed desperately at his face, trying to clear away the blood, the crimson life that he hoped to believe was clouding his vision, but alas it was no use. He could not will his eye to open.

-"Link! Oh, ...no--!"-

Tears anew spilled from her tear-ridden depths as she embraced her wounded hero's neck, unable to console him any further from the pain.

The wolfos' could sense they had wounded their prey, baring jaws of anticipation at finally feasting on the Chosen Hero's hide. They inched closer...

Snuffling, Midna fixed her enemies with a menacing glare, noticing them surrounding their quarry once more. Her eyes changed to a whole new shade of red. She could feel it; something within her mind giving way. She felt the most unfeignedly rage build up inside her. Link had suffered so much for her, and now...

-"Stay—

None of those ghostly demons were safe. That assailing move against her love would not go unpunished.

-"—Away…"-

Midna's very skin became darker than night, the runes adorning her body glowing brightly.

-"From—"

The wretched fiends pounced on them all at once.

-"—LINK!!"-

An explosion of Twilight, more pure and powerful than anything the three divine Goddesses' could have ever witnessed, lanced out from Midna's form, completely engulfing the surrounding plain in raw energy. Snow turned to ice on the ground, frozen shards jutting out from the epicenter of the impish girl's wrath. A pillar of almighty light spiraled violently into the cold sky, parting the clouds, and the heavens beyond them. The earth shook from the sheer force of it all, and in the midst of the chaos Link's keen wolf ears came to hear what could only be described as an elaborate proclamation from a language that was all but lost to him.

Out of the darkness, Link could barely distinguish the fate of those that had attacked them.

And much to thou own horror, he watched as the wolfos were reduced to nothing but ashes.

Thus... all became silent. Not a breath of wind came to pass upon the snowy field, as if Farore herself was afraid to disturb the very earth in which the Hero lay.

_'By the Goddesses...'_

He gazed up with trepidation at the sight unfolding before his very eyes: Midna... floating amongst the ruin that she'd wrought, the seemingly frail creature now a seething, burning image of terror and child-adolescent beauty. Midnight skin, soft as could be; a slender figure with sumptuously supple curves of a young woman; teal runes alight with fierce luminosity, and pale cyan markings that made her so enthralling that Link could gasp... if he'd been human.

The impish features were all but gone now...

Slowly, she turned to him, levitating as she had always done so, and again the Hero of Time felt the breath stolen from his lungs. The Fused Shadow that she had once wore as a headpiece was now absent. Unbelievably long, windswept flame-red hair swayed elegantly behind her, as did the flowing sleeves and tapering skirts of the dark-on-crimson open robes now a part of her attire. Her eyes teamed with golden intensity, her angelic features appearing gentle as she regarded him, huddled on the snow.

His vision began to fade, as the exhaustion finally gripped the Hero in its snare. The Twilight aura of Midna's body, and the throbbing pain upon his wolfish face lulled Link's senses...

**-"Link..."- **

Her voice was resonant, carrying the weight of some forgotten goddess with her serene and celestial tones.

His eyes drooped as Midna reached for him, her expression that of sorrow.

**-"Link, don't go..."-**

A part of himself tried to rationalize what in the name of Din had happened to change her so. Another, was terrified of the harm she could bestow from the Fused Shadows that granted her such power...

_What... what have you done... Midna?'_

Darkness claimed him, and his heart beat no more....

**-"LINK--!"**


End file.
